Page 101 - AIT1222_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design NAN Arquitectos, ES-Pontevedra
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Grundriss 1. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +1
Bauherr • Client Stadtverwaltung, ES-Pontevedra
Standort • Location Michelena 30, ES-Pontevedra
Nutzfläche • Floor space 530 m 2
Fotos • Photos Iván Casal Nieto, ES-Pontevedra
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 126
CITY COUNCIL
IN PONTEVEDRA
What is the influence the pandemic era has on the de-
sign of public buildings? What is modern in the true
sense? A successful as well as prompt answer to these
questions is given by NAN Arquitectos who, right after
the first wave of Covid 19, implemented the decision of
the Pontevedras town administration and adjusted the
administration rooms as consistently as sustainably.
T he building task had certainly been unambiguous: The spreading
of the virus in the areas of the citizens’ office on the ground floor
and in the offices around the plenary hall and inside it on the first
upper floor were to be minimized with the help of constructional mea-
sures, for the benefit of the employees as much as for that of the visi-
tors. In accordance with this guideline, the NAN Arquitectos architectu-
ral office located in Pontevedra explored various possibilities of design
and technology. The architects strictly separated the transit- from the
common areas and integrated the obligatory safety distances in their
design concept. After the new entrance there are now zones that serve
as a reception filter of the visitors: After the appointment arrangement
and the registration, there is an accessible waiting zone in the middle
of the room with an additional passage to the community offices on the
upper floors of the building. In the citizens’ service areas on the ground
floor, the concept envisages that the visitors stand or sit looking in op-
posite directions to avoid the risk of infection. When they are sitting
down, the employees in the meandering service boxes are completely
protected by generous glass screens but are able to communicate with
each other and deal with the concerns of the citizens. The basic idea for
the furnishing had been to develop a series of boxes with different
functions which enter into dialogue with each other and structure the
room appealingly and into the zones made necessary by the pandemic.
When deciding in favour of straightforward rectilinearity and of materi-
als that are easy to clean, the architects also took the comfort of the
users into consideration: Cool, bright materials give the project a tech-
nological image, wooden surfaces serve as compensating elements for
the metal cladding and give the service boxes a friendly, warm appea-
rance; light-blue upholstered chairs in the waiting zone look fresh and
comfortable. Not last, the concept also included the installation of a
controlled ventilation- and air-conditioning system in the false ceiling
for being able to control the air-exchange rate. To minimize reverbera-
tion, sound absorbers have been integrated in the ceiling.
AIT 12.2022 • 101